[Contents]

Agency Readiness and Training

The Service is exploring how to better equip itself to implement an ecosystem approach to fish and wildlife conservation. To ensure that all our employees, non-biologists as well as biologists, have a common understanding of our approach, we are developing and providing training courses and seminars in the basics of ecology and an ecosystem approach. We are also making these courses and seminars available to partners.

One of the Service's National Education and Training Center's(NETC) priorities is to help improve employees' skills to make them more successful at implementing an ecosystem approach, which ultimately will make the Service a better partner. The NETC is developing and providing courses on topics such as team building, team effectiveness, transition management, facilitation skills, negotiation, partnerships, conducting effective meetings, outreach, managing change, and others as needs arise. The Service has developed a document, Resources for Assisting in Implementing an Ecosystem Approach, which lists trained facilitators inside and outside the Service, education programs available through NETC, and additional readings on ecosystem management. NETC will periodically update this resource guide.

Service organizational structure, budget processes, communication processes, and performance management systems will all be examined and modified as needed to foster a climate conducive to implementing an ecosystem approach.

Continue on to the Evaluation Process and Practicing Adaptive Management